SOLOMON: An Independent or Same Source Polluter?
Submitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price Mason County Progressive
On May 16, 2011, I had a message on my phone from Dr. Jeff Johnston of the Department of Ecology. Dr. Johnston is the Science and Engineering Section Manager for the Air Quality Program, the person who signed off on the separate source determination for Simpson/Solomon, determining that all of these Simpson/Reed owned and controlled businesses are all their own separate little worlds, that they are not connected nor controlled by one source, hence the "separate source" baloney.
Dr. Johnston apologized for not acknowledging my April 5, 2011, letter and he acknowledged receipt of both that letter and my May 11, 2011, letter. In his defense, in his message he said he has been investigating the information I submitted with my letters. (For a month and a half?) However, that's great news, and that much time leads me to hope that a little more time taken now might yield the correct result: a same source determination.
What I mean is, it took less than two weeks for Dr. Johnston to:
I know this because in the Air Permit Application of Solomon Renewable Energy Company submitted to the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency there are two dates which relate to the Department of Ecology's separate source determination: July 23, 2010, and August 4, 2010, a period of about twelve days.
- Review Solomon's request
- Perform an appropriate investigation to verify the information provided
- Write up his separate source determination.
The Solomon Air Permit Application identifies July 23, 2010, as the date of Solomon's "Separate Source Determination Request" to the Department of Ecology; and the Application identifies August 4, 2010, as the date of the Department of Ecology's Separate Source Determination. I can confirm the August 4, 2010, date because I am looking at a copy of the Department of Ecology's determination letter.
What I am waiting for is the copy of Solomon's Request of July 23, 2010, which I requested on May 16, via facsimile, pursuant to a "Request for Public Record" to the Department of Ecology.
It took almost six weeks, two letters (one certified mail), two blog posts, and a fax to the Department of Ecology, to get a phone call acknowledging receipt of my letters and explaining their delay in responding.
If Solomon had hand delivered the July 23 Separate Source Determination Request to Ecology, the turnaround for Ecology responding was 12 days. If the Solomon request was mailed, even less time to review, investigate, and issue a determination.
Granted, Dr. Johnston's separate source determination was based "on information submitted".
Pretty soon we will have a copy of that request, and we will know what information was submitted to persuade Ecology to make this separate source determination.
In the meantime, having received some conflicting information, Dr. Johnston is prudently taking his time now to investigate what he has been provided. I applaud Dr. Johnston for taking a long look now to be sure that he was not misled previously, and for making a new determination if his investigation reveals that we are talking "same source" not "separate source", as this writer believes.
Keep you posted...
SHELTON BLOG NOTE:
Links to previous related posts:
Same Source Determination Request Update
http://masoncountyprogressive.blogspot.com/2011/05/same-source-determination-request.html
Is Solomon an Independent Polluting Unit?
http://masoncountyprogressive.blogspot.com/2011/05/is-solomon-independent-polluting-unit.html
Reopen DOE Separate Source Determination
http://masoncountyprogressive.blogspot.com/2011/04/reopen-doe-separate-source.html
Katherine, thank you for staying on these folks so tenaciously. Your points make total sense and how they can determine otherwise, well, it takes an alert mind and correct information converging to get there.
ReplyDeleteJust to document the ORCAA monitor reading as of 5/18/11 at 7:56pm:
ReplyDeleteWAQA Value: 48.0
Measurement Value: 13.9ug/m^3
At the top level of the green area - ready to move into the yellow area.
At least we can show DOE that currently the monitor is picking up pollution on a warm, spring evening --- (means it may be working again?)
Now add Solomon to the air pollution mix!
SUBMITTED BY: Cassie
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH KATHERINE!!!!
Sent yet another letter...
ReplyDeleteIt took Ecology only a few days to decide to approve. In a few months I cannot get a reasonable response to my inquiry.
There is a huge difference between an agency who exists to permit, and one who looks out for the interests of the citizens of the State of Washington. Some citizens, me included, have wrongly concluded that Ecology is there for "us"; for John and Jane Doe Citizen. I it now looking more and more like that may not be the case.